A compleat history and mystery of the Old and New Testament logically discust and theologically improved : in four volumes ... the like undertaking (in such a manner and method) being never by any author attempted before : yet this is now approved and commended by grave divines, &c. / by Christopher Ness ...

2 Kings CHAP. XV.

THIS 2 Kings Chapter the 15th, treats both of the Affairs of Judah and of Israel too, but the 2 Chron. 26. Chap. of Judah only: The first part in both those Books and Chapters concerns the Kingdom of Judah, namely of Ʋzziah Successor to Amaziah.

Remarks upon him, are, First, This King had two Names of much Affinity (saith Vatablus) he is call'd Azariah, Chap 14.21. and 15.1. and Uzziah, ver. 13, 30. 2 Chron. 26.1. both names signifying the same thing for substance, Azariah, God's help; and Ʋzziah, God's strength: Upon his Father Amaziah's Murder, all the people of Judah took this Ʋzziah his Son, when but sixteen years old, and made him King, Chap. 14.21. which they did either in opposition to the Conspirators, or to shew their Affection to the House of David, and that their quarrel was only personal against Amaziah, whom they look'd upon as the Author of all their late Calamities.

Remark the Second; The Character of this King, ver. 3. He did right as his Father had done; this was no very laudable Character (as Tilinus observes) for as the Father be∣gan his Reign fairly, but ended it foully, so did the Son in the same manner, without sincerity, and only for a season; neither of them did so well at last, as at first; where∣as their last Works should have have been better than their first, had they been of that golden Temper of Thratira, Revel. 2.19. but both of them waxed worse and worse, 2 Tim. 3.13. They both basely Apostatiz'd, Ʋzziah's unsoundness is described, 2 Chron 26.5. he sought God while he took for his Tutor that holy Seer Zachariah (whom Hierome calls the Son of Zachariah the Son of Jehoiada whom Joash stoned.) As long as Uzziah sought the Lord, God made him to prosper, ver. 6, 7. to ver. 16. But when he was strong, God marvelously helping him until he was mounted up to the very Pinacle of Power by his Victories abroad, ver. 7, 8. and by his Grandure at home with his Mathematical Engines, &c. ver. 9, 10, 15. his Pride now budded to his Downfal.

Remark the Third; When God had handed this Ʋzziah thus high, then began he to fall, and to serve God (as we say) a slippery Trick: Ambition and Avarice (saith Gat∣taker) became the accompanying pests of his power: Hitherto this Hypocrite had only God's Person in admiration (as 'tis said, Jude ver. 16.) for his own advantage; when he had what he would, then starts he aside like a broken bow, Hos. 7.16. as Rehoboam had done before him, 2 Chron. 12.1. then began Ʋzziah to abuse his great power, in Acts of Pride and Presumption; his Prosperity had intoxicated him, Prov. 1.32. he profanely invades the Priests sacred Office, ver. 16. as if he aspir'd to be Jack of all Trades; for 'tis said, he was a Warrior, a Sheep-master, and a lover of Husbandry, &c. ver. 10. and now the King will play the Priest also.

Remark the Fourth; Ʋzziah is rebuked for his Arrogancy and Impudency, in taking the golden Censure, in order to burn Incense, ver. 17, 18, 19, &c.

Mark 1. God's High-Priest rebukes him, telling him, That Kings ought not to usurp an Office that appertains not to them. N. B. This teaches, Ministers must be Men of Courage, to withstand the Torrent of Vices, and not spare the greatest, if need; as Na∣than did not spare David, and John Baptist, Herod, &c.

Mark 2. Ʋzziah was wroth with the Priests, as Asa had been with the Prophet, 2 Chron. 16.10. both looking upon it as too sawcy an Affront, for Subjects to withstand their Sovereigns, though modestly managed, and not by force.

Mark 3. Ʋzziah's wrath against the Priests, did the more incense God's wrath against him; God smote him with Leprosie (taking his Servants part against him) as Num. 12.10.

Mark 4. When God had thus spit in his Face, he needed no thrusting out by Vio∣lence, but hastens out of his own voluntary will, for fear of a farther mischief, saith Grotius: And no wonder if he were affrighted out, seeing (as Josephus, &c. say) that terrible Earthquake, &c. Amos 1.1. Zech. 14.5. fell out at that very time.

Remark the Fifth; The following punishment of his presumptuous Usurpation was two-fold; First in his Life, and Second at his Death.

Mark 1. God's Law saith, [A stranger that approaches the Priest's Office shall be put to Death] Numb. 3.10. and 18.7. Now is Leprous Uzziah little better than dead, for he was not only excluded from all Temple-service, but also from all humane Society, ver. 21.

Mark 2. God would have this Leprosie to be incurable, that he might live and die so. Osiander observes excellently from hence, That Ʋzziah by coveting and compas∣sing the Honour of the Priesthood, doth lose his Royal Dignity, yea the Privilege of every private Person, that were not Lepers, who might be admitted into the Temple to

God's Worship, from which he had wilfully excluded himself, ver. 20, 21.

Mark 3. Nor was this all the Punishment he had pull'd upon his own Head, by his Presumption in his life-time; for by pressing farther into God's House than he should, He deprived himself of that Liberty which before He had; nor may He live in the City, but only in the Suburbs; and when He died, He must not have that honourable Funeral as the Kings His Fore-Fathers had, for they said, He is a Leper, ver. 23.

N. B. Here, 1. the Note of a learned Commentator, saying, Let Day-preachers look to it, and learn Wisdom from this just Judgment of God upon Ʋzziah, for Usurping what belong'd not to him. N. B. His Leprosie is said to arise as a Vapour out of the stirred Ashes of the Incense-Altar, ver. 19. Thus God wrote his Sin upon his Punishment. N. B. And though such presumptuous Persons be not presently punish'd (some mens Sins go before to Judgment, and some follow after, 1 Tim. 5.24.) yet know, God will main∣tain his own Order (ordained by himself) both in Church and State, and sooner or later will take an Order with such as violate his Ordination. Alterius perditio tua fit cantio. Ʋzziah here is Recorded for our Caution, not for our Imitation.

N. B. 2. Learn hence a cogent Argument against the Arminian Notion of a true Believer's total and final Fall; here is an exemplification: As Ʋzziah, while he lived thus excluded from Church and State by his Leprosie, had indeed lost his jus Aptitudi∣nale, his Right of Capacity for his Crown and Kingdom, but he did not lose his Jus Haereditarium, or Hereditary Right, for his Son Jotham was only his Vice-Roy, mana∣ging all State-Matters in his Father's Name until his Death; So a Believer, by falling into an Act of Sin, loseth his present fitness for Heaven, but still his Hereditary Right is not lost thereby; as David by his foul sin, had not sin'd away his Right to Salvation, he had only lost the present Joy of Salvation. which he so earnestly begs of God to re∣store to him, Psal. 51.12. But mark more of this in my Antidote against Arminianism in their five grand Points.

Remark the Sixth; There had been Prophets before this time continually, but none left their Prophecies in writing behind them, yet now ariseth a company of Prophets that do so▪ For Ʋzziah Reigned 52 Years, in which long Reign we read of, First, Isaiah, the Prophet's writing the Acts of Uzziah, 2 Chron. 26.22. which, Junius saith, he did partly in the Book of Kings, and partly in his own Prophecy, as Isa. 6.1, &c. where he saw the Glory of Christ in the Temple, John 12.41. and filling the Temple with smoak, to betoken the burning of it, because the Jews began more and more at that time to fall into a state of Obduration, whereof Isaiah treats in his five first Chapters, especial∣ly Isa. 1.10. and 5.1, 2, 3. &c. and again, Isa. 14.29. the Prophet saith [Out of the Serpent's Root shall come forth a Cockatrice, and his Fruit shall be a fiery flying Serpent;] the Sence is, The Philistims rejoiced at Ʋzziah's Death, because he had sorely smote them, 2 Chron. 26.6, 7. but now was become a broken Rod, yet the Prophet Prophesies that Hezekiah should arise out of that Root, and be as a Serpent to sting them worse than ever his Grandfather had done.

The Second Prophet in the days of Ʋzziah, was Hosea Chap. 1.1. timed as Isa. 1.1. whose expression was [Blood touches blood,] Hos. 4.2. which relates to the Murder of Zocharias the Son of Jehoiada, whereby they made their measure of Sin full, for our Lord quotes that wicked Act, as highly conducing to the Catastrophe of their Kingdom, Matth. 23.32, 35, 36, 37. N. B. The First, Second, Third and Fourth Chapters of Hosea, all speak the fore-tokens of their Captivity.

The Third Prophet in that time was Amos, Chap. 1.1. his whole Prophecy concerns Israel's Rejection, but more expresly in Chapters 7.10, 11, 12, &c. he tells us, Jeroboam the Second was then alive (Contemporary with Ʋzziah) and that Amaziah the Priest of Bethel's Calf inform'd against him as a Traytor to that King.

The Fourth Prophet in this time was Jonah as is aforesaid, upon 2 Kings 14.25. which Text doth certifie he was Contemporary with the former Prophets, who had all foretold the Rejection of the Jews, and therefore is this Jonah seasonably sent forth to fetch in the Gentiles by preaching to Ninive, &c. and though at the first he declined his Message out of love to his own Countrymen (knowing, that the coming in of the Gentiles would be the casting off of the Jews yet was he forced thither, when cast a Shore out of a Whale's Belly, wherein he was a Type of our Lord's Burial and Resurrection, Matth. 12.39, 40. just before the Call of the Gentiles, by the Preaching of the Gospel.